From having just a small table with the business’s name on it to negotiating with the giants of the film business has been the journey of the Vista Group.

Based in New Zealand but with a ­Sydney office and a big Australian client base, the business is rapidly broadening its products and services.

Whereas they had initially concentrated on helping cinemas run more efficiently, they are now consulting to the huge studios, helping them better understand moviegoers and how to entice them to see the next big film.

In those days Holdaway would attend film conventions with just that small table to mark their presence in the ultra-competitive movie industry. But Senior says the company has been able to carve a unique position.

“No one does all the different things we are doing," he says. “It has taken us 18 years to get a 37 per cent share. We think we can get to 50 per cent of the market or more, which will provide enormous opportunities.’’

That market share refers to the large cinema circuit market, which is where a cinema operates more than 20 screens, Revenue for the overall Vista Group has been growing 20 per cent a year for the past four years and reached $30.5 million in 2013.

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But future growth could come from its Hollywood contacts. The studios spend vast amounts on marketing, but it’s money that is rarely well targeted. A division of Vista called Movio specialises in data analytics and aims to be the world’s leading aggregator of film data, which should help studios choose their next project and when the movie should be released.

Senior says the more data they can obtain, the more they will be able to help studios understand what is going on with fans. Despite its size and popularity, the film industry is fragmented.

Along with the large cinema chains that Vista has worked with for years, there are prominent independent cinema operators who also require ticketing, loyalty and reporting systems similar to the requirements of the big chains. In the US alone, there are 2000 independents, so Vista supplies that market through Veezi, which provides a cloud based IT system. While much of their business is overseas, Holdaway says there are many advantages to having an Australasian base.

“Australia is one of the more important film markets globally. Moviegoers have similar tastes to the US and the film studios view it as a key test market.’’